Minister appreciated the ‘SIDBI iDEX Partner Incubator Fund’
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh the Government’s commitment to further enhance the role of the private sector in the defence ecosystem.
Further, he has highlighted the vibrant and dynamic ecosystem of innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists and start-ups in the country, stating that the world is acknowledging the strength and talent of India’s youth.
Addressing the 12th edition of Defence India Start-up Challenges (DISC 12) during DefConnect 4.0 on 7 Oct in Delhi, Rajnath Singh pointed out that the Government is striving to increase the private sector contribution in nation building.
He continued: “There were two major dimensions of self-reliance in the defence sector. First was the manufacturing of arms/equipment, whose technology was available, but there was a lack of production capacity. Second was catering to the needs of high-technology applications in view of the constantly-changing nature of warfare.”
Earlier, only in-house R&D and organisations like DRDO were working towards the development of such cutting-edge technologies. “But now, we are witnessing a significant role of the private sector too. There is enhanced synergy between the public and private sectors, the biggest example of which is DefConnect,” he said.
The minister appreciated the ‘SIDBI iDEX Partner Incubator Fund’, stating that the collaboration will meet the critical funding needs of innovators. SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) will allocate Rs.50 crore to 10 leading partner incubators, including Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer at IIT Delhi, Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at IIT Bombay, and Technology-Hub Hyderabad, to fund iDEX winners in advancing critical defence technologies.
On the new technologies being incorporated in wars and conflicts, Rajnath Singh said that apart from conventional arms & ammunition, many dual use or purely civilian tech is being weaponised. He called for an in-depth understanding of these technologies, exhorting the innovators to make imaginative use of the advancements for the defence of the nation.
Stressing on the need to move forward from imitative to innovative and distinctive technologies, he called upon the private sector to think beyond the solutions to challenges being provided through ADITI & DISC.
He urged them to bring forth the tech which is far ahead of the requirements of the Armed Forces and would be beneficial to deal with future threats. He promised the Government’s full assistance to achieve the goal of a strong & self-reliant defence sector.
ADITI 2.0 features 19 challenges from the Armed Forces and allied agencies in the domains of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Technology, military communication, anti-drone systems customised for military platforms and adaptive camouflage, etc. This scheme offers a grant of up to Rs 25 crore to Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) winners, focusing on critical technological areas crucial for strengthening the defence ecosystem of the country.
DISC 12 presents 41 challenges across key technology domains, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), AI, Networking and Communication, with grants up to Rs 1.50 crore. Notably, it introduces the Medical Innovations and Research Advancement (MIRA) initiative, featuring nine challenges aimed at fostering the development of medical technologies to meet the medical demands of the Armed Forces. To provide momentum to the iDEX initiative, DISC was launched in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission, aimed at supporting start-ups/MSMEs/Innovators to create prototypes and/or commercialise products/ solutions in the area of national defence and security.
The minister commended DefConnect for playing a crucial role in developing the culture of innovation in the country. He stated that the platform is bringing a new energy to the defence industrial ecosystem, and making the nation’s talent a partner in strengthening the security apparatus.
Terming DefConnect as an important link between all the stakeholders associated with the defence ecosystem, he exuded confidence that the platform will help in realising the vision of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence.
Enumerating the feats achieved due to the Government’s efforts to promote innovation, Rajnath Singh informed that iDEX has received over 9,000 applications so far, and is currently collaborating with more than 450 start-ups & MSMEs through DISC and Open Challenge.
He added that 26 products have been developed under iDEX, for which procurement orders worth more than Rs.1,000 crore have been placed.
In addition, Acceptance of Necessity and Request for Proposal worth over Rs.2,380 crore have been issued for 37 products. The ADITI initiative is focusing on over 30 critical and strategic technologies to strengthen the defence ecosystem, he said. fiinews.com
